The stars were different.
Orion sat in a chair at the side of his bed which Andrea was currently still sleeping in. The rest of the survivors had gone to bed already, with the four of them cramming into couch's and empty corners of Orions apartment. The space wasn't big enough for all of them, but it would have to do for now.
A patch of moss sat at the doorway, guarding against any beasts that tried to break in. It wasnt the most elegant security system, but it would work for now. Orion was still confident nothing would get in unless they opened the door.
He stared at the stars through his window. The tower was still radiant as always, with its purple light blocking out some of the sky. But in the darkest regions of the stratosphere, Orion found stars.
Except they weren't. At least, they weren't the same stars he had memorized the positions of as a child. They were placed differently, and they were larger. He found some of them tinted to be different colours. Blue, green, red.
Purple.
Orion theorized on what that could mean. His best theory, though it was still insane, was that they were in a different part of the universe. The idea gave Orion chills.
If it was true, he still needed to find the why and how. What was the purpose of them being here, fighting these vicious monsters? Orion was becoming more and more sure that there was something commanding this whole situation. There had to be.
Orion suddenly felt watched again, like he had in the hallway. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck, and he suddenly became very uneasy. He tried to shake it off, but the feeling stayed.
He looked down at Andrea. The boxer was sleeping, her short light blue hair falling down around her head. Her chin was bruised. With a small cut where the Face Stealer had hit her.
She looked nearly peaceful. Orion envied her. Despite his exhaustion, he found it nearly impossible to sleep. He felt a little weird just watching Andrea, but he had a desire to be there when she awoke. He was sure she would be confused.
Hell, Orion himself was confused.
He looked down at his numerous wounds. There were the two cuts the Moss Shambler had given him, both still aching and dripping blood. His newer injuries were slightly less concerning, but still caused Orion a great amount of discomfort.
His ankle felt sore, and a jolt of pain would shoot through his leg with every step. His finger still ached, and he was nearly positive it was dislocated at the very least.
His face was the worst of his new wounds. He had numerous cuts and bruises, and his left eye was swollen and red. He had washed the dried blood off his face, but he could still taste it in his mouth.
Orion had never been so physically injured in his entire life. His condition carried a certain mental strain too. He had a constant reminder of the danger he was in. He felt sorrow plague his heart again.
"Why the hell is this happening to me?
"Orion?" Said a meek voice. He looked up at the bed. Andrea's eyes were barely open, and they were hazily glancing around the room. She looked weak and tired. Orion felt the same.
"Hey, how do you feel?" Orion leaned forward. Her voice was small, barely an echo in the silent apartment building. She grimaced slightly.
"Fine. You don't look too great though."
Orion smiled and shrugged.
"You should see the other guy."
Andrea let out a dry chuckle and sat up slowly. Her movements were slow, and she winced as the purple light of the tower met her eye. Orion stood to close the blinds.
"What happened after I…" she seemed to choke down the final word. She wouldn't meet Orions eyes. Orion realized with a bit of worry that Andrea was ashamed. It made sense, she was a fighter, so there was an extra layer of guilt that came with her condition.
"I beat the Face Stealer, passed out for a bit…and then the event happened."
Orion nearly shuddered to remember the fear he had felt in that moment. The pure terror of it all. He imagined himself standing in the middle of a hurricane. He had never felt so helpless. Andrea raised an eyebrow.
"All of the beasts…are free. They're roaming the hallway."
Andrea's eyes widened. She understood immeadiately. There was danger now where there hadn't been. The pair had taken security in the fact that none of the monsters seemed unable to get outside of the apartments they started in. That security was gone now.
"You made it out okay?"
Orion nodded slowly.
"We were saved. These people were wandering the halls and they found us just in time."
Andrea raised her eyebrow at that. Orion knew she was very against increasing their numbers. He was hoping he could make her see the benefits. Though, Orion wasn't sure he was seeing many benefits himself…
The four new survivors were helpful in combat, and their abilities offered new ways to handle situations. But their dynamic was…complicated.
George was a pain, who seemed only interested in what was easy for him. Devon, while capable, seemed lazy and unwilling to apply himself in anything. Samantha, or Sam as she preferred to be called, was completely unable to work while around her father.
The one outlier was Monica, who seemed to be an unending wellspring of positivity. The only issue was, she was a chronic people pleaser.
Spending a whole day with this new rag-tag group had made him truly miss Andrea. The boxer nodded slowly.
"How many?" She asked. Orion put up four fingers. She nodded contemptly.
"That should be pretty easy to handle. Any of them crazy?"
"Not crazier than you." Orion chuckled. Andrea rolled her eyes, but a slight smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"So, what's the move?" She asked. She rubbed her injured chin slowly, wincing slightly. Orion scream he's his head. He had been considering this very question earlier.
"I think," he started. "We need more room. We can't fit six people into my apartment. But I don't think we can really leave."
Andrea nodded slowly. A smile appeared on her face, and she turned to the wall behind her.
"You know, my apartments on the other side of this wall."
Orion raised an eyebrow, and then realization hit him.
"You wanna tear down my wall?"
Andrea laughed a bit.
"Seems fun right?"
"I mean…yeah, I guess. I don't know if I'll be super helpful though, I think I got a broken finger or something."
Andrea stuck out a hand, motioning to see his injury.
"It really hurts, and it's pretty swollen-"
CRACK
Orion yelped, grabbing his finger. It radiated pain, but he could feel that his bones had been corrected. He looked up at Andrea, who was giggling to herself.
"It was just dislocated, nothing crazy. And now you don't got an excuse to skip out on the demolition!"